


Day Twenty-Nine || Wood

by 365daysofsasuhina



Series: 365 Days of SasuHina 2019 [29]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-30
Updated: 2019-01-30
Packaged: 2019-10-19 08:26:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17597783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/365daysofsasuhina/pseuds/365daysofsasuhina
Summary: The forest is one of the few places Sasuke has left where he can just...forget the world, the village, and his troubles for a while. But at least the company he ends up with is...tolerable.





	Day Twenty-Nine || Wood

It takes more than a little time to adjust.

And not just to Konoha itself, but...to village life. For over three years, Sasuke hasn’t really had a place to call  _ home _ . There was Orochimaru’s lair, sure...but that wasn’t a home, or a proper town. It was a maze of rooms and hallways, subterranean, lit only by torches with air both stale and tense. It had been a place to stay. To train. But not to  _ live _ .

Then he’d killed the snake sannin...or, one piece of him. Sadly, he didn’t finish the job...though he’d had his uses further down the road.

And that left him...well, not homeless, but without a place to rest. No walls. No roof. No doors to shut on the world when he wanted. He took to the road with his new team...and never looked back. Transitory, transient, he had no place to tie him down. More often than not, they’d bed down in the trees off the roadside each night of their journey, with only the boughs and the stars over their heads.

He wouldn’t admit it, but...those were some of his favorite times after leaving Konoha behind.

There’s a certain peace in the woods. An isolation, but not loneliness. Surrounded only by sounds of the environment, the animals, the trees. Insects would buzz in the quiet, water would flow, a breeze gently rustling the limbs of the forest.

So, when things just become... _ too much _ , Sasuke retreats back to that wood. Back to the silence broken only company he neither sees, nor seeks. 

Konoha is still reeling after the war. Politics and politicians are abuzz like a rattled wasp nest. And Sasuke knows things will only get worse once they move in on the council in search of Itachi’s pardon, and the revelation of the Uchiha Massacre’s truth. Only then, with her shadows brought to light, can Konoha begin to heal. Truly, and deeply this time. Never again will they allow those who abuse their power into such positions. He may not be able to change the world...but Sasuke will do his damnedest to change his home.

Into something better.

...but not today.

Today, he hides away in the deeper parts of Hi no Kuni’s forests. Back against a trunk, he keeps one leg flat against the grass, the other bent at the knee to rest his new arm. Even now, he’s still conditioning the regenerated muscles to the strain of use. But for now, all he needs to do is doze in the dappled Spring sunlight that fights its way through boughs to the forest floor.

Birdsong serenades him, dueting with a nearby creek. Insects rattle and hum in a nearby bush, the wind singing softly in the leaves.

...and then...footsteps.

A single dark eye opens, but only just. They’re a ways off yet, not quite in his line of sight. Light and cautious, they’re nonetheless unhidden. Whoever it is, they’re not trying to sneak up on him...or if they are, they’re doing a piss poor job. More than likely, they’ve no idea he’s even here.

Watching idly as ears help place their location, there’s a blink as a growingly-familiar form then steps out from between the trees. Hyūga. The elder main branch sister. Otherwise known as Hinata, though they aren’t exactly on first name terms. Or rather,  _ he _ isn't. She still calls him Sasuke-kun. He just calls her - and the rest of them - Hyūga. His manners aren’t exactly top form.

She seems to be looking for something. Not moving, he decides to wait and see how long it takes her to notice him. In one hand she clutches a jar, Byakugan active...but not looking his way. A brief consideration leaves him guessing she’s likely looking for an insect for her Aburame teammate. Slowly her head turns, scanning her surroundings before tensing. Eyes flicker in their sockets as she watches, slowly stalking forward...until with a snap, she claps the lid to the rim of the jar. Peering in, her shoulders relax.

Apparently, she got it.

“Konbanwa, Sasuke-kun.”

He blinks. Huh...apparently she  _ did _ know he was here. Must have seen him earlier in her search. “Hyūga.”

There’s an ever-present sigh. “You really don’t have to call me that, you know. I’m just fine with you using my given name.”

Sasuke doesn’t answer. In truth, he doesn’t feel close enough to her yet to use it. Though...just because he hasn’t  _ yet _ doesn’t mean he  _ will _ . Making friends isn’t exactly his priority. And given how closely the Hyūga have been working with him, his brother, and his cousin...he’s not exactly eager to spend any  _ more _ time with any of them.

...though her company, out of them all, is probably the most tolerable.

Screwing on the hole-peppered lid tightly, she approaches, giving just a hint of a smile. “...enjoying the afternoon…?”

“Taking a break from people.” No sense beating around the bush with her.

“I do the same...it’s so peaceful out here. Though...I guess I’m intruding, aren’t I?”

Rather than answer her question, he dodges by asking her one in turn. “What were you catching?”

“Oh! Well...there’s a beetle Shino-kun has been looking for, so...I thought I’d use a free day to look for one.” She holds out the jar. “It’s a yamatotamamushi.”

A brow perks at the name.

“They’re a very pretty green color, with red stripes!” Coming a bit closer, she crouches and offers the glass. “He wants one for a terrarium he’s making.”

Not exactly a fan of insects (though also not repulsed), Sasuke gives her a glance before gingerly accepting it. Within, marching along the bottom, is the very bug she described. Turning the jar, its color shifts and shimmers.

“Huh...guess it’s sort of pretty.”

“I thought so!” Hinata chirps in reply. “Hopefully he likes it - he’s on a mission today, so...I can’t show him until tomorrow. But it should make for a n-nice surprise.” Carefully, she tucks the little jar into the pouch clipped to her thigh.

Silence falls. 

“...well, I guess I should give you your privacy back, ne?” Hinata straightens her legs, stretching a bit. “It’s such a pretty day...I’m glad I didn’t end up with an assignment. And Neji-nīsan is training Hanabi this afternoon. That left me with a rather open schedule, though...I guess now that I caught the beetle, I should probably head back.”

“Not going to stay and enjoy the weather?”

Looking to him, a tinge of surprise alights her face. “...well, I don’t want to interrupt…”

“It’s not like you’re out here making a ruckus.” Much like either of his teammates would be, were they here. “Pretty sure you know better than most of our year how to just sit and be quiet.”

There’s a blink, and then Hinata giggles into the cuff of a sleeve. “Well...most, but not all.” Pale eyes glance around. “...well, I...suppose I can stay for a bit.”

“Have at it.”

After a brief pause, she takes a few steps to another nearby trunk, settling against it facing opposite her new companion. Arms hug her knees to her chest, staring up into the limbs above her.

Sasuke watches her for a moment before settling back with a sigh, eye closing. 

...maybe  _ some _ company won’t hurt.

**Author's Note:**

> Whoops, another late night! Today was very busy irl, and tomorrow likely will be too...but hey, I got things done!
> 
> It took me longer than it should have that wood doesn't have to mean a PIECE of wood, but...woodS, too xD Hence having a little tranquil moment with Sasuke and Hinata both. And...Hinata's new beetle friend.
> 
> Though on that note, I'd better hop to the rest of what I'd like to get done tonight! Thanks so much for stopping by!


End file.
